Monday, 31 May 2010

This year, Plastician's annual May Mix is taking a slightly different turn in order to mark the fifth anniversary of the now-renowned mixes: renamed 'Sound That Speaks Volumes', the mix is to be pressed for the first time ever to 10,000 CDs which will be distributed among flyer packs, in shops and given away at the DJs shows. The mix includes, as is typical of the man who continues to push for greater cross-breeding between grime and dubstep, a healthy mash-up of the latest bangers from both scenes, is packed to the brim with exclusives and showcases the usual seamless and creative mixing skills that have come to be expected:

Friday, 28 May 2010

HEDMUK favourites Elijah & Skilliam have turned in yet another fine selection featuring some of the biggest tunes of the moment ('Slang', 'Street Fighter', 'Missing'...) as promotion for news of their latest venture. Joining a group of some of the most forward-thinking labels in electronic music at the moment, the pair are involved in one of the biggest closing parties for next month's Sonar festival in Barcelona: featuring the likes of Rustie, Deadboy, Swindle, Untold and L-Vis 1990, the night is set to be an epic future bass showcase.

Friday, 21 May 2010

Despite the fact that La Roux is, by all accounts, a pretty rubbish '80s revivalist pop act, it seems, since Skream's 'Let's Get Ravey Remix' went top three in the charts last year (and was arguably behind much of the success of the original 'In For The Kill' single) a lot of producers view the be-quiffed androgynous one to be some sort of potential goldmine of remixing potential.

The slew of reworkings, from the likes of Foamo and chronic remixer Nero, pretty much all fell on dead ears, or those already favouring Skream's effort that had started the trend in the first place. Now, more than a year after the boy from Croydon's chart-storming success, Gemmy has joined the latest trend: giving tunes away for free. The track is classic Gemmy: a softened kick-drum driving the sub's undulation, with a pinched synth melody drifting over the top. In fact, of all the people to have forwarded remixes of La Roux, Gemmy's apparent '80s leanings perhaps make him the most suitable candidate so far.

Thursday, 20 May 2010

GetDarker TV is nearly always worth a watch, but this week's show was definitely among the more notable of the 47 episodes which have aired since the project began back in March of last year as Distance, Cyrus and, the man behind GetDarker, Darkside joined to play a four hour back-to-back set moving from the old school dark garage sounds of the very late nineties right up to the drop of 'Midnight Request Line'.

Featuring some of the very earliest releases from influential labels such as Tempa, DMZ and Big Apple Records (aswell as a neat selection of exclusive white labels and the odd Transition 10") and the sort of exemplary mixing that has come to be expected of the three men behind the decks, the show is definitely worth a listen.

Sunday, 16 May 2010

Post-2009, UK bass music found itself in a funny position: with dubstep creeping ever nearer to properly breaking into the mainstream, grime actually being really good and exciting again and even drum & bass taking innovative steps into the future, it seemed like anything could happen. Perhaps the most interesting development was that of the constantly un-termed techstep/dub-techno/funky-tech/deep house sounds coming from the likes of Flying Lotus, 2562 and Four Tet. However, it was not the fact that any of these acts were new faces (as many of them actually weren't) but that 2009 saw them properly come into their own in making a recognisable and relatable sound. Thus, 2010 was ushered in by a listening audience who were just as happy to enjoy intriguing club experiences as they were to be entertained. Damu is undoubtedly a direct beneficiary of this development, as he strives to produce music which challenges its audience to be intrigued, and even occasionally confused, by what they hear...

HEDMUK: To start with, what's your name, how old are you and where do you hail from?

Damu: I’m Sam, I’m 20 and I live in sunny Manchester, originally from the countryside.

H:When did you start producing music?

D: I’ve been making various types of music since I was about 14, although I’ve only really been doing the more laptop/electronic side of things for maybe a year and a half, seriously for about a year. It’s been an intense year though. I got really into dubstep a few years ago, but I started out making jungle. I fucking love old school jungle and it’s still probably my favourite thing to dance to, as well as being the only thing I have a decent vinyl collection of.

H: Would you say you're from a musical background, and had you previously been making other types of music?

D: I guess so, yeah. I’ve been playing instruments since I was about 6. I’ve always liked playing piano, guitar and drums. My room is littered with little percussion instruments and knackered keyboards. I used to be in a few bands, I used to do the ‘production’ on my computer, so when I got into more electronic music I just kind of drifted into Ableton and stuff from that. I really think that the more I get into music production, the more I can identify with it and the people associated with it, and that’s really nice.

D: I love Animal Collective and Flying Lotus. They have a real mastery of creating nice sound rather than just parts of a song that stick to rules. I’ve just bought a new toy, a sampler and I’m really looking forward to getting that going. It’s sometimes hard to keep the organic side in the music when everything’s on the laptop and that’s something that’s important to me. I guess I’ve just kind of slipped into making house-y music, it’s just a sound and BPM that appeals to me. It has room for musical elements to breath but also a smooth, danceable rhythm. Obviously I listen to a lot of Rinse FM DJ’s and I’m a big fan of the Hyperdub, Nightslugs, Brainfeeder, Applepips and Minus Labels; along with the Rinse stuff, they probably make up the better part of my favourite contemporary electronic music. I always have a few different projects going on, they probably bear my influences in different ways, but I always try to make it as clear in my music as possible that, basically, I love music in all its different forms. I’m very fond of hip-hop, techno and classical: anything from Disney to death metal, to be honest. I should start posting some piano compositions or something. I’m a real advocate of producers who create a distinctive sound, that’s something that Actress, Zomby, FlyLo, Burial and Four Tet all do really well. You can really hear FlyLo’s musical upbringing and the heat and sweat of the place he was recording in in his productions. That shows real class and it gives you something special to work within. I only hope I can get better at it in future.

H: Is there anything else, where you live for instance, which has particularly influenced your sound?

D: Manchester has definitely had a big influence on me. There’s always so much great stuff on here. Hoya:Hoya, Hit’n’Run and Sicknote in particular have been three nights I always hear inspiring new music and meet people who’ve helped me on my way. I definitely think that the mood of the place you live in definitely affects the music you make aswell though.

H: Which producers are currently interesting you, or even inspiring you?

D: I think the Nightslugs label has it going on at the moment. Dubbel Dutch, Deep Teknologi, Brackles and Kyle Hall are all doing it for me. The new Actress album, ‘Splazsh’, is fantastic, as is the new FlyLo LP. In terms of inspiration, I love Zomby. I saw him live a couple of weeks ago and his new stuff was so good I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Anyone who can use a fresh/abstract noise, make it melodic and make it their own, I will pretty much be all over. When I can do that, you know I’ll be nearly happy. I love what Flying Lotus does live, if you’ve not seen him, I highly recommend him. He really brings a creative element into live electronic performance and his shows are just crazy as a result. I’m working on doing something kind of similar. I just find myself listening to loads of old school deep/Chicago house at the moment: it’s relaxing, well-made and just generally smooth so you can’t go too far wrong.

2010.

H:Have you got anything coming up yourself (live dates, releases etcetera) in the near future that you'd like to do some healthy plugging for?

D: Keep checking my Soundcloud, people. I’m always putting new stuff up there. I’m working on a live AV show at the moment; so look out for that when it’s ready. I really just want to keep working on the tunes so I can get something signed when the time is right.

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Elijah and Skillam are, in many ways, grime innovators. Rejecting the clashes, hype wars and focus on MCs that have for so long been the foundation of the scene, they've instead championed the long over-looked production side of the genre bringing the likes of SRC, Swindle, D.O.K and Royal T to the fore. In co-founding Grime Forum, they laid down important infrastructure that remains a vital tool for producers and DJs to showcase their talent. What's more, in the creation of Butterz, a vinyl label, they brought back the stamp of quality that grime lost when it ushered in the mixtape era.

To celebrate their 200th post on the Butterz blog, Elijah has made this Nasty Crew b2b Roll Deep set from circa 2003 available for download.

Monday, 10 May 2010

The past month has seen both Benga and Skream put up tunes for free download, and now another of the old school masters of the bass and beats combination has joined them. Loefah is often regarded as one of the producers largely responsible for the sub-heavy, half-step pattern that many subsequent dubstep producers followed, and 'Just A Beat' is a classic example of this influential sound:

Pinch's Tectonic imprint has been at the forefront of the scene since its inception way back in 2005; home to deep and heavy progressive music, the label has released tunes from the likes of Cyrus, 2562, DMZ, Loefah, Skream, Jack Sparrow, Peverelist and Pinch himself. With what the Tectonic boss describes as "the biggest thing the label has put out yet" coming in Autumn, and an upcoming Fabric Live residency announced today, the rest of 2010 is set to be exciting. Read the Fabric interview with Pinch here and be sure to catch Skream, Kuedo, Youngsta, Kryptic Minds, Pursuit Grooves and Pinch at Fabric on June 11th as they launch Tectonic's new home.

It has been a while since Benga's last sizeable release (his last probably being the Diary Of An Afro Warrior long player, way back in 2008), and the anticipation behind this one has been enormous. Having showcased so many new tunes through live sets and on official mix CDs (most notably on Rinse: 09 and Dubstep Allstars 7) but releasing so few of them caused worries among many that the tracks would never see a release. The announcement of Benga's plans, however, to release a series of EPs (similar to Skream's 'Skreamizm' collection) has put rest to much of the worry. Phaze One is released today with a heavy tracklist in tow, with the huge 'No Bra, No Panties', 'Mini Moto Cross', 'Rock Music' (aka 'Dramatic') and 'Baltimore Clap' making it an absolute must for the bag.

A little late arriving, but definitely worth the wait, the tenth vinyl release from No Hats No Hoods is a genre-spanning offering. Badness collaborates with Lil Nasty and grime scene don Skepta for the original title track, the classic stylings of which sets it up as one of the biggest grime releases of the year so far.

What makes it a surprising release, though, is the fact that each of the three remixes accompanying the original tune are actually very good. So often, remixes are simply tacked onto single releases for lack of a decent flipside, but not here...

Fast-rising Bristolian Mensah keeps the vocals intact and backs them with a simple rolling bass and hard-hitting snare:

Cotti and Coki also apply their trademark stamps to the track, as Badness' eery intro vocals are stretched out to full effect, before Coki's current favoured sound drops into the mix:

Finally, Bassboy switches from a half-time dub-reggae intro straight into an old school 4x4 bassline flex:

Sunday, 9 May 2010

With releases on his and Cyrus's Origin Audio imprint , as well as Mala's Deep Medi Musik label, Tunnidge is one of the heaviest producers about. Showcasing plenty of dubs, this mix is unmissable deep, dark sub-driven business.

Thursday, 6 May 2010

Deadboy fans have had it good recently: last month saw the release of the huge dancefloor anthem 'If U Want Me', this month saw the release of Cash In The Attic Vol.1, a 3 track EP delivering more of the sort of organic, steppy-R'n'B that the future garage golden boy has made his own. After his XLR8R podcast last week, Deadboy's been at it again with a mix for Hyponik ahead of their Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! event this Friday at Plan B in London. Enjoy!

In celebration (and presumably as a statement of the classic status of the original instrumental) of the official release of 'The Woooo EP', Stay Fresh Music has released 'The Woooo Mixtape' as an official free download release. Featuring forty-six tracks and a huge array of grime MCs on vocal duties, the collection is a step up from the unofficial fourteen track mixtape hosted by Dan Thorne.

Monday, 3 May 2010

The focus on space and a stripped-down approach to beat building in the production of dubstep is something which has, in recent times, caused the relevant sections of many independent record stores to become saturated with the latest releases from anyone who has seen the now infamous 'UKF Dubstep Tutorial' video. However, rather than resulting in mass disillusionment this means that it is even more rewarding when you successfully unearth a new producer with genuine promise, drive and originality. And so we come to Dark0; HEDMUK caught up with him to find out more about his approach to the music he makes, what influences him and what he can see on the horizon.

HEDMUK: To start with, what's your name, how old are you and where do you hail from?

Dark0: My name's Dark0, I'm 19 and I'm from Neasden in North London: born and raised.

H: When did you start producing music?

D: Always used to fuck about with Fruity Loops from when I was about 17 but never really got the hang of it. I was on it solid one day last year and made a beat that was pretty solid (well, I thought it was at the time) and I sent it out to my mate Ross (aka. DJ Roskoe) here in Birmingham and got it played on radio. Producing kicked off properly for me at the beginning of this year.

H: Would you say you're from a musical background, and had you previously been making other types of music?

D: I wouldn't say so, no. I used to fuck about with a guitar when I was younger but never got great at it like all my mates! Still though, I find I can be more creative using software. I'm currently trying to pull funds together and play more shows around Birmingham (where I'm located at the moment), so I can splash out on maybe getting Logic and a sweet keyboard. I like to think I'm a musical person naturally though (laughs). At first I tried to make something funky, I was proper into my funky at the time but since then I've developed my own sort of style and drifted into that darker side.

H: What or who was it that introduced you to dubstep, particularly the darker, deeper and more melodic style you appear to favour in your own productions?

D: I remember listening to Benga's Essential Mix at the beginning of '08, I ain't a veteran or whatever like people want to claim to be and shit. I remember hearing Benga's 'Assumptions' remix on that and thinking "yeah, this is live". It was my brother who put it on a little memory stick for me to take upto my army college (which I boarded at); I rinsed that mix like a 100 times. After that I started doing my research and got hold of Vaccine's mix from 2007: that was the vibe I wanted to do but with more of a physical edge. Beautiful stuff. Just needed a tiny bit more of a punch to make it border to what I wanted to do.

H: You seem to bear your influences strongly, which artists in particular have affected your approach to your music?

D: Like before Vaccine's mixes which had a lot of Scuba and Gravious tunes. Other than that, everytime I go and see Youngsta live I just absorb that vibe. He's different. That whole darkness thing is the one. I try to incorporate elements of ambience with that darkness. I'm working on some new deep stuff at the moment and am looking to get a digital EP released over the summer. Try and push the name further; get people to enjoy my music.

H: Is there anything else, where you live for instance, which has particularly influenced your sound?

D: Yeah for real, I used to check FWD>> religiously. Not any more though: its all fucked up. That place was like magic to me and my bredrins, just used to go there and stare at the DJ and watch them mix in awe. Used to go out of that place in a trance with all sorts of ideas. FWD>> was the one.

H: Which producers are currently interesting you or even inspiring you?

D: Have to go through my record bag for this one! I'd have to say Headhunter or Ramadanman at the moment. They are pushing some different sounds that I'm loving. Every set I play I rinse 'Humber' by Ramadanman. It's that minimal, euphoric tip that just blesses me in more than one sense of the word (laughs).

H: It's a question asked too often, but what is your view on the future of dubstep?

D: It can go many ways at the moment, I think. For me some people are deading it completely. I ain't gonna name drop, but most of it coming out on vinyl release and getting signed seems to be just a bunch of noise with a 140bpm beat behind it. The Autonomic boys are pushing that 'drumstep' (as I like to call it), 170bpm sound. I like that, it's sexy, but it ain't my thing. I'd like to see it re-route itself to where it was just pure; those old subby vibes that Loefah and Mala push: that's just banging.

H: Have you got anything coming up yourself (live dates, releases etc.) in the near future that you'd like to do some healthy plugging for?

D: Yeah I play about in Birmingham sometimes weekly in Rainbow. Nice little place. Good crowd that appreciates diverse types of dubstep. As for releases, I'm still in the process of mastering and finishing my EP, which I'll push in the summer. Getting a couple dubplates pressed too to get the full effect of my production. We'll see whatever gets offered my way too, I'm keen to play out. I enjoy it so much seeing people vibing in front of you to songs you've made/chosen to play: sick feeling. I've got a Facebook page and a Soundcloud too. Just looking to polish off my first year at Birmingham so I can concentrate on the music more.

The 12" can be pre-ordered here (direct from No Hats No Hoods) in advance of its release on the 10th of May. The release will coincide with the producer's debut CD, entitled 'Are You Ready', which is also available now for pre-order from No Hats No Hoods.